1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to metalworking operations and, more particularly, to a method and assembly for rotating a cutting insert about the insert central axis during a metalworking operation. The subject invention is also directed to the cutting insert itself, the assembly with a toolholder and such an insert, and the operation of the assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
During a metalworking operation, such as a turning operation, where a stationary cutting insert is urged against a rotating workpiece, the insert cutting edge acting upon the workpiece is heated by the workpiece until the operation is complete or until the cutting edge begins to break down through a failure mechanism, such as crater wear or plastic deformation. To avoid these modes of failure, and to permit more efficient operation of the cutting insert, in the past, circular cutting inserts have been mounted upon toolholders, such that the cutting inserts were freely rotatable about the insert central axis. A particular cutting insert was then presented to the workpiece and oriented in such a fashion that the rotary motion of the workpiece on, for example, a lathe, imparted to the cutting insert a force acting in a direction tangential to the insert. The motion of the workpiece acted against the cutting insert not only to machine the workpiece but, furthermore, to rotate the circular cutting insert such that the cutting edge of the insert was continuously refreshed. As a result, under ideal conditions, no single segment of the cutting edge experienced prolonged exposure to the workpiece. Furthermore, the cutting edge operated at a lower temperature, thereby allowing greater cutting forces and improved efficiency of the metalworking operation.
This type of spinning insert may exhibit extraordinarily long tool life at remarkable speeds. However, this same spinning insert may fail in an equally dramatic fashion when the cutting conditions change slightly, or when the cartridge bearings, used by the cutting insert for rotation, begin to deteriorate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,818 is directed to a method of cutting solids of revolution by a rotary cutting tool having a circular cutting tip. The cutting insert is secured to a spindle which is mounted with bearings within a housing. Coolant is introduced through the spindle into a wind turbine, thereby imparting rotation to the cutting insert. However, the torque resulting from cutting forces tending to rotate the insert is much higher than that developed by the stream of coolant urging rotation of the cutting insert. Rotation is imparted to the cutting insert primarily by interaction with the workpiece. The purpose of the wind turbine is to enable the circular cutting insert to continue its rotation even during an interrupted cut, at which time there is no contact between the cutting insert and the workpiece to provide frictional rotation. As a result, this cutting insert design depends upon extracting from the rotating workpiece a tangential force to rotate the cutting insert.
A method and assembly are needed capable of rotating a cutting insert about its own axis during a metalworking operation, whereby the speed and direction of rotation is not determined by the rotation of the workpiece itself, but is determined by independent forces acting upon the cutting insert.